Club Penguin
Club Penguin is an online-based, massively multiplayer online role-playing game (abbreviated as a MMORPG) created by New Horizon Interactive in the summer of 2005. It had a public Beta Testing in August 2005, and was officially launched on October 24, 2005. It involves a virtual world, where the players are penguins, and is featuring a large range of minigames and other online activities, and is based on a snowy island, after which the game is named. Club Penguin has been noted as sharing similarities with other popular browser-based online environments such as RuneScape and Habbo Hotel, such as the use of an in-game currency to purchase virtual items and pets, named "puffles". The game is specifically designed for players within the ages of 6-14, thus child safety is a vital responsibility of the game's developers. The game was founded by Lance Priebe, and co-founded by Lane Merrifield, and Dave Krysko. It is now estimated that over 150 million people worldwide play the game, which was originally built on a Smart Fox Server. Gameplay in Club Penguin include players creating and controlling cartoon, penguin avatars to move about the island. Although the game is free to play, players can purchase membership and get extra special features such as purchasing clothing, decorating igloos, and much more. Players also have the opportunity to earn stamps, role-play, have snowball fights, play mini-games, and interact with other players around the world. Players who misbehave and break the rules are immediately punished and could be banned from the game. On August 1, 2007, Club Penguin was bought by The Walt Disney Company. Club Penguin joined Disney so they could help spread Club Penguin throughout the world in many different countries, in many different languages. Disney would also help make Club Penguin much better and much safer for their players. Disney purchased Club Penguin for the initial price of 350 million United States Dollars, with an additional 350 million dollars in bonuses provided specific targets were met by 2009.In the summer of 2012, Club Penguin was sponsored by Marvel, Disney's Shake it Up, and Innocent Fruit Smoothies. Players believe Club Penguin partnered with these companies to increase revenue and ultimately try to draw in more players.Club Penguin first started selling merchandise in 2006 on their online store. In 2007, when Club Penguin was bought by Disney, they decided to make toys available in more places besides online. So on October 24, 2008, Club Penguin toys were shipped to stores all around the world, where players could buy them at their nearest supermarket.Club Penguin has sold merchandise such as stuffed plush penguins, and stuffed puffles, mix and match figures (in which head, body, some items, and lower parts of a penguin come off to mix with another set or another penguin in the same set) and Card-Jitsu cards; including Card-Jitsu Fire and Water cards.Ten books, such as "The Ultimate Official Club Penguin Guide Volume 1", "The Official Stage Playbook", "Secret Agent Handbook", "Stowaway! Adventures at Sea" and "Waddle Lot of Laughs", The Great Puffle Switch, Dancing with Cadence, Shadow Guy and Gamma Gal: Heroes Unite, Stuck on Puffles, and The Card-Jitsu Handbook are all created by the Snowball Press, also known as Club Penguin Headquarters. There is also a Club Penguin annual that comes out every year. It is only available for a limited time on the book codes page. Recently, Club Penguin has started a YouTube channel. An internet Club Penguin Animated Short series began on December 3, 2011. It sometimes airs on Disney XD and Disney Channel. A T.V. show of the game is also rumored to be in production. Rsnail came up with the idea for Club Penguin one day in 2004 while watching the news.Club Penguin was designed to add and update rooms forever.Club Penguin has had over 150 million registered users. In 2005-2007, news about Club Penguin spread very quickly. They never advertised at all until Disney bought Club Penguin.Club Penguin started out with 10 employees, but grew to over 100 by the end of 2006.25,000 people log into Club Penguin every day.Club Penguin has more employees than Twitter.200 different Club Penguin employees receive 40,000 emails every week, and they must reply to every single one of them.Club Penguin has a revenue of 50 million dollars.Club Penguin's business number is 1-888-861-4111. And their email is: support@clubpenguin.com. Club Penguin is updated at least once a week, no matter what the occasion.It was known as the "Big Update" during Penguin Chat 3, but was later renamed to Club Penguin.The team, at first, were going to call it something like Penguin World, Penguin Land or World of Penguins. Eventually, they settled on Club Penguin, after thinking that it should be a club or community.The Club Penguin artists work with Adobe Photoshop on a Wacom Pen Display. Club Penguin is currently available in five different languages. Club Penguin has been recognized with the following rewards: 2009 Webby AwardsWired Kids- Best of the Web Award 2009; Parents Choice Recommended- Gold Award- 2008; Children's Technology Review- Editor's Choice; N.A.P.P.A. Gold 2008; Kidspot- Best of 2008; Entertainment Standard of Excellence- WebAwards- 2009; BAFTA Awards- Nominee; Better Business Bureau - Kid's Privacy Seal of Approval; Better Business Bureau- 2008 Torch Award; TRUSTeESRB Rating- E for Everyone.